Tambú

Cura&#231;ao's African-Caribbean Ritual and the Politics of Memory

Nanette de Jong

Publication Year: 2012

As contemporary Tambú music and dance evolved on the Caribbean island of Curaçao, it intertwined sacred and secular, private and public cultural practices, and many traditions from Africa and the New World. As she explores the formal contours of Tambú, Nanette de Jong discovers its variegated history and uncovers its multiple and even contradictory origins. De Jong recounts the personal stories and experiences of Afro-Curaçaoans as they perform Tambu–some who complain of its violence and low-class attraction and others who champion Tambú as a powerful tool of collective memory as well as a way to imagine the future.

Cover

Title Page, Copyright, Dedication

Contents

Acknowledgments

I did not choose Curaçao as a research site as much as Curaçao chose me,
or, perhaps, more aptly, Curaçao captured me, the unusual diversity of its
music captivating my research interests, while the kindness and sincerity
of the people enabled a rare sense of belonging. ...

Part 1. Habri: Here It Is, the History of Tambú!: Até Aki, Historia di Tambú!

1. The Story of Our Ancestors, the Story of Africa: E Kuenta di Nos Antepasados, e Kuenta di Afrika

Creolization, the evolutionary development of Afro-Caribbean culture, began
when conditions allowed distinct cultural memories to regain meaningfulness
within a New World context. Through a process of negotiation, certain
histories continued; others became inverted or disappeared altogether. ...

The term Tambú is used today interchangeably to define the specific drum
instrument, the dance, the song, and the occasion itself. Through the recent
centuries, the sacred role of Tambú has been eclipsed by its secular role,
where Tambú is tantamount to an oral newspaper, a medium for the documentation
of local news and gossip ...

As already stated, during the early slavery years Tambú was allowed to
evolve without much interference. Early Dutch interests were focused almost
entirely on trade and profits, and the personal lives of manquerons
were at first of little interest to the slaveholders. ...

Part 2. Será: Get Ready! Get Ready!: Poné Bo Kla! Poné Bo Kla!

Tambú, as we have seen, was born of the union between local meanings
and elements acquired through “global flows”—the movement and interaction
of culture. Tambú has continued to evolve via unique conjunctions of
social, political, economic, and cultural change, with the religious Tambú
emerging particularly remarkable in its ability to transform. ...

5. Clap Your Hands!: Bati Bo Mannan!

A friend recently returned from a visit to Curaçao, eager to share his experiences.
He had attended a folkloric show at his hotel, a program advertised
as a dedication to the island’s representative musical rhythms. Taped music
filtered out onto the outdoor pool-turned-stage, with a lone musician, a
young boy, playing the wiri as accompaniment. ...

6. Come for the Party: Bin na e Fiesta

Each year from November through December official sanctions against the
secular Tambú temporarily relax. With radio stations filling air time with
Tambú recordings, and parties enjoyed across the island without guest permits,
the holidays have become unofficially known as “the Tambú Season.” ...

Conclusion/Conclui: Are You Ready? Are You Ready to Hear the History of Tambú?: Bo Ta Kla? Bo Ta Kla pa Tende e Historia di Tambú?

Our discussion of the phenomenon known as Tambú, so immediately resistant
to disclosure, has been developed in this book to reveal its manifold
transformative abilities. Frequent changes in Curaçao’s economic environment,
coupled with similar changes in the island’s philosophical and political
climates, ...

Glossary of Terms Referring to Tambú

Bibliography

List of Interviews

Index

About the Author

Nanette De Jong is senior lecturer at the International Centre for Music Studies, Newcastle
University. Her research examines the identities forged by African diasporic
groups, emphasizing the ways in which these identities find expression in
music. ...

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